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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. tube — the underground
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. shower — rain
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rock — music
  7. firm — a company
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rock — a stone
  10. firm — decided
  11. shower — to wash
  12. mate — a partner
  13. firm — steady
  14. scale — in music
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tube — a container
  18. kid — child
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. prune — to trim

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com